Comprehension

“She Understands;

She Does Not Comprehend.”

— River Tam

Have you ever seen a shape in a cloud, or a face in a knot of wood? 

Every few months Jesus appears to the unsuspecting in a piece of toast.

Or does He? Human Beings 

are pattern-seeking animals.

For thousands of years, Our Survival depended on being able 

to spot patterns in Nature 

to find predators hiding in 

The Wild.

And so now, centuries later, 

we are still looking, still searching every cloud for faces, 

as if our lives depend on it.

So strong is our belief that 

A Pattern must exist 

that The Human Mind 

will project the pieces that don't fit.

So, where The Pessimist sees Danger 

hiding behind every back, 

The Optimist sees Friendship.

Which is Why, 

When We Encounter Coincidence, 

We often see Conspiracy.

Scene 6.

The Greatest Single Benefit to 

Hiring 

A Leader to Rule over You 

and 

Govern The Village 

in your stead —

Is that you never have to listen to a bloody word they ever say to you —

SCENE 6

(Mulder's holding cell. THE GUARD opens the cell door for SCULLY and SKINNER. This is a different cell. A darker cell. There's a small window at the very top of it. MULDER is standing in front of that window stretching upward and facing the light. He has his back to the door.)

(THE GUARD closes the door. He remains outside.)

SCULLY: Mulder.

(MULDER turns around slowly. He moves away from the light and a little closer to SCULLY and SKINNER. He has a strange look on his face.)

SCULLY: Mulder!

(MULDER sniffs the air around him. He fixes his stare only at SCULLY and says ...)

MULDER: I smelled you coming, Clarice.

(SCULLY and SKINNER look a little stunned. SCULLY throws an uncertain glance to SKINNER. MULDER releases a chuckle and a smile. SCULLY takes a deep breath at being once again exposed to MULDER'S exquisite sense of humour.)

SCULLY: Oh, my ...

(SCULLY doesn't seem too amused. She also hasn't moved closer to MULDER. She remains where she is since she came into the cell, quite a length away from MULDER with SKINNER between them.)

SCULLY: Damn it, Mulder. It's not funny to see you putting on that act.

MULDER: No, that is funny.

(MULDER fixes SCULLY with a look and begins to walk toward her.)

MULDER: What's not funny is what they do to you in here if you don't put on that act.

(MULDER finally sounds like his old self.)

(MULDER reaches for SCULLY, cups the back of her head with both hands, and draws her to him. MULDER kisses SCULLY leisurely taking his time, his thumbs gently caressing her cheek. SCULLY reaches up and touches MULDER. This is the reunion they both need. MULDER wraps his arms around SCULLY, drawing her nearer to him without breaking the kiss. They embrace each other in their passion. For one moment now and after, they simply hold each other.)

(SKINNER standing close to them, averts his eyes allowing them what little privacy he can.

(MULDER and SCULLY pull away from each other. MULDER humorously turns to SKINNER.)

MULDER: Come here, you big, bald, beautiful man.

SKINNER: The only thing you're going to be kissing, Mulder, is your sweet ass good-bye, with the trouble your in.

MULDER: Uh-huh, I kind of gathered that right around the 50th brainwashing session.

(MULDER inches a little closer to SCULLY, he's holding her hand and lifts it to his lips.)

SCULLY: 

Mulder, why are they 

doing this to you?

MULDER: 

They think that They're preparing me for My Trial. 

For My Testimony.

SKINNER: 

Your Testimony's not going to matter. 

Not with the case They're building.

MULDER: Not building. Rigging.

SKINNER: 

Yeah, I don't think you understand the seriousness of the charges. 

This isn't some routine wrist-slapping. 

You're on Trial for Your Life.

MULDER: 

My Trial's a forgone conclusion. 

What They really want is 

for me to admit My Guilt 

and Help Them Out. 

What's really on Trial here 

is The Truth.

SCULLY: 

Mulder, They're saying you killed a man.

MULDER: Have they produced a body?

(Neither SCULLY nor SKINNER answer. SCULLY looks over at SKINNER.)

MULDER: 

You can't produce a body 

because you can't kill 

a man who won't die.

SKINNER: Well, body or not, they've got 30 witnesses from that government facility ready to testify against you.

SCULLY: Mulder, we'll get you the best lawyer.

(MULDER lets out a smile and a laugh.)

MULDER: 

To you defend a man 

who believes in aliens 

against the FBI and the military? 

It's never going to happen. Skinner can defend me.

SKINNER: 

I can't represent you….!

MULDER: 

You know all the facts, 

the details, the whole government conspiracy.

 More than that, 

I Trust You.

(SKINNER is stunned silent by the weight of MULDER'S complete faith in him ... of MULDER'S willingness to put his life in SKINNER'S hands.)

SCULLY: Mulder ...

MULDER: They can't try me without exposing themselves. I know what I'm doing.

(The three are silent for a moment. The cell door opens. DOGGETT and REYES enter.)

MULDER: Whooo, now it's a party.

(DOGGETT stops in the cell and looks at MULDER. The two men look at each other.)

DOGGETT: 

Agent Mulder.

SCULLY: 

What's the matter?

REYES: 

We've been working off what little we have but A Military just got back to us.

DOGGETT: You ready for this? I know this is impossible, but they're saying they got Knowle Rohrer's body.

(They all know this is a lie. They're in for a tough battle ahead.)

[Fade to black]

James R. Kirk

It clearly stands for “Robert”.

Too Much Effort

Baldrick: 

Permission to ask a question, sir…

Edmund: 

Permission granted, Baldrick, as long as isn’t 

the one about where babies come from.

Baldrick: 

No, the thing is : 

The way I see it, these days 

there’s a war on, right? 

and, ages ago, there 

wasn’t a war on, right? 

So, there must have been a moment when 

There Not being A War on 

went away, right? And 

There being A War on came along.

 

So, what I want to know is :

How did we get from the 

one case of affairs 

to the other case of affairs?

 

Edmund: 

Do you mean,

“How Did The War start?”

 

Baldrick: 

Yeah.

George: 

!!!…The War started 

Because of The Vile Hun and 

His villainous Empire-building.

 

Edmund: 

George, The British Empire at present 

covers A Quarter of The Globe,

while The German Empire consists 

of a small sausage factory in Tanganyika. 

 

I hardly think that we can be entirely absolved of Blame

on The Imperialistic front.

 

George: 

Oh, no, sir, absolutely not. 

(aside, to Baldick)

Mad as a bicycle!

 

Baldrick: 

I heard that it started when 

A Bloke called Archie Duke 

shot an ostrich ’cause he was hungry.

 

Edmund: 

I think you mean it started when 

The Archduke of Austro-Hungary 

got shot.

 

Baldrick: 

Nah, there was definitely an ostrich involved, sir.

 

Edmund: 

Well, possibly. 

But The Real Reason 

for the whole thing was that 

It was just Too Much Effort 

not to Have a War.

 

George: 

By Gum, this is interesting; 

I always loved History — 

The Battle of Hastings, 

Henry VIII and his six knives, all that.

Edmund: 

You see, Baldrick, in order to prevent war in Europe, 

 Two Superblocs Developed : 

Us, The French and The Russians 

on One Side, 

and The Germans and Austro-Hungary 

on The Other. 

The idea was to have 

Two Vast Opposing Armies, 

each acting as 

The Other’s deterrent. 

That Way, 

There could never be A War.

Baldrick: 

..but this is a sort of A War, 

isn’t it, sir?

Edmund: 

Yes, that’s right. 

You see, there was 

A Tiny Flaw in The Plan.

George: 

What was that, sir?

 

Edmund: 

It was BOLLOCKS.

 

 

 

 Carninal Woolsey :

 You opposed me in The Council, 

this morning, Thomas. 

 

Yes, Your Grace. 

 

Carninal Woolsey :

….you were the only one.

 

Yes, Your Grace. 

 

You're A Fool. 

 

I Thank God there is only one fool on The Council. 

 

Carninal Woolsey :

Why did you oppose me? 

 

I thought Your Grace was wrong.

 

Carninal Woolsey :

A matter of Conscience. 

You're a constant regret 

to me, Thomas. 

If you could just see facts flat on,

without that horrible moral squint. 

With a little Common Sense, 

you could have made A Statesman. 

 

The King. Where's he been? 

Do you know? 

 

I, Your Grace? 

 

 Carninal Woolsey :

Oh, spare me your discretion. 

He's been to play in the muck again. 

He's been to Mistress Anne Boleyn. 

Moore — Are You Going to Help Me? 

 

If Your Grace will be specific —

 

Carninal Woolsey :

You're a plodder! 

All right, we'll plod. 

The King wants A Son. 

What are you going to do about it? 

 

I'm very sure The King needs no advice from me 

on what to do about it. 

 

Carninal Woolsey :

Thomas, We're alone. 

I give you My Word, 

there's no one here. 

 

I didn't suppose 

there was, Your Grace. 

 

( He’s genuinely surprised and taken aback — because, of course, the study door has been deliberate left a few inches ajar by Cromwell on his way out, having granted Moore admittance, before retiring to beyond a margin of a discreet and plausibly deniable Safe Distance further down the cavernous, echoing Oak-Panelled corridors of Hampton Court.  )

Carninal Woolsey :

Oh. 

Do you favour a change of Dynasty, Sir Thomas? 

Do you think two Tudors are sufficient? 

 

For God's sake, Your Grace! 

 Carninal Woolsey :

Then He Needs A Son. 

I repeat, What are You 

Going to Do About it? 

 

I pray for it daily. 

 

Carninal Woolsey :

God's Death, he means it…..!

That Thing Out There.... 

at least she's fertile. 

 

But She's not His Wife.

 

 Carninal Woolsey :

No, Katherine's His Wife

and she's barren as a brick. 

Are you going to pray for a miracle? 

 

There are precedents. 

 

 Carninal Woolsey :

All right. Good. Pray by all means. 

But in addition to prayer, 

there is Effort. 

And My Effort is to secure 

A Divorce. 

Have I Your Support, 

or Have I Not? 

 

The Pope gave a dispensation, 

so that The King might marry 

His Brother's Widow, 

for State Reasons. 

We are to ask The Pope 

to dispense with His Dispensation, 

also for State Reasons? 

 

Carninal Woolsey :

I don't like plodding, Thomas. Well? 

 

Then, clearly all we have to do 

is to approach His Holiness 

and ask him. 

 Carninal Woolsey :

I think we might influence the 

decision of His Holiness. 

By argument? 

Carninal Woolsey :

Argument, certainly. 

And…. pressure. 

 

Pressure —applied to The Church? 

 

Carninal Woolsey :

The Church and, Church Property.  

Pressure. 

 …..

No, Your Grace -- 

I'm not going to help you. 

 

Carninal Woolsey :

Then goodnight, Master Moore. 

Let The Dynasty die with Henry VIII 

and we'll have dynastic wars again—

Blood-witted barons 

ramping The Country 

from end to end. 

Is that what you want? 

 

Very well. England needs An Heir. 

Certain…. measures, 

perhaps regrettable... 

perhaps not….as much in 

a Church which needs Reformation, Thomas. 

 

All right, regrettable. 

But necessary to get us An Heir. 

Now, explain how you, 

as A Councillor of England, 

can obstruct these measures….

For The Sake of Your Own 

Private Conscience. 

 

I think, that when 

Statesmen forsake their 

Own Private Conscience 

for The Sake of their Public Duties,

They lead Their Country 

by a short route — to Chaos. 

 

And we shall have 

My Prayers to fall back on.

 

Carninal Woolsey :

You'd like that, wouldn't you? 

To govern The Country with prayers? 

 

 

Yes, I should. 

 

 Carninal Woolsey :

I'd like to be there when you try.

Who will wear this after me? 

Who's our next Chancellor? 

You? Fisher? Suffolk? 

 

Fisher, for Me. 

 

Carninal Woolsey :

Aye, but for The King? 

What about My Secretary, Master Cromwell? 

 

Cromwell…. He's a very able Man. 

 

Carninal Woolsey :

But? 

 

Me, rather than Cromwell. 

 

 Carninal Woolsey :

Then, come down to Earth. 

Until you do... 

...You and I are enemies. 

 

As Your Grace wishes. 

 

Carninal Woolsey :

As God Wills. 

 

Perhaps, Your Grace. 

 

Carninal Woolsey :

Moore…

You should have been A Cleric! 

 

Like yourself, Your Grace? 

 

Carninal Woolsey :

Goodnight, Sir Thomas.

1981

I was beginning to realise that the only way to make this evening bearable would be to 

Ask André A Few Questions. 

Asking Questions 

always relaxes me.

In fact, I sometimes think that 

my secret profession is that 

I'm a Private Investigator, 

A Detective. 

I always enjoy 

finding out 

about People. 

Even if they're in 

absolute agony, 

I always find it 

very interesting.

 The Life of a Playwright is tough. 

It's not easy, as some people seem to think. 

 

You work hard writing plays, 

and nobody puts them on. 

 

You take up other lines of Work 

to try to make A Living... 

I became An Actor... 

and people don't hire you. 

 

So you just spend your days doing 

the errands of your trade. 

Today I'd had to be up by 10:00 in The Morning

to make some important phone calls. 

 

Then I'd gone to the stationery 

store to buy envelopes. 

Then to the Xerox shop. 

There were dozens of things to do. 

By 5:00pm I'd finally made it to The Post Office,

and mailed off several copies of my plays -- meanwhile 

checking constantly with my answering service to see 

if my agent had called with any acting work. 

 

In The Morning, The Mailbox 

had just been stuffed with bills.

 What was I supposed to do? 

How was I supposed to pay them? 

After all, I was already doing My Best. 

 

I've lived in This City all My Life. 

I grew up on The Upper East Side, and 

when I was 10 years old, I was rich, 

I was an aristocrat, 

riding around in Taxis, 

surrounded by Comfort,

and all I thought about 

was Art and Music. 

 

Now I'm 36, and 

all I think about 

is Money. 

 

It was now 7:00pm and I would have liked nothing better 

than to Go Home and have My Girlfriend Debby

cook me a nice, delicious dinner. 

 

But for the last several years 

our financial circumstances have forced Debby 

to work three nights a week as a waitress. 

 

After all, somebody had to bring in a little Money. 

So I was on My Own. 

 

But The Worst Thing of All was 

that I'd been trapped by 

an odd series of circumstances 

into agreeing to have Dinner with 

A Man I'd been avoiding literally for years. 

 

His Name was André Gregory. 

At one time he'd been a very close friend of mine, 

as well as My Most Valued Colleague in The Theatre. 

 

In fact, he was 

The Man Who Had First Discovered Me,

and put one of My Plays on the professional stage.

 

When I'd known André, he'd been at the height of his career as a theater director 

 

The amazing work he did with his company the Manhattan Project... Had just stunned audiences throughout the world. But then something had happened to André, He dropped out of the theater. He sort of disappeared, For months at a time, his family seemed only to know that he was traveling... In some odd place like Tibet... which was really weird because he loved his wife and children. He never used to like to leave home at all, Or else you'd hear that someone had met him at a party and he'd been telling people... that he talked with trees or something like that. 

 

Obviously, Something Terrible 

had happened to André --

 

The whole idea of meeting him made me very nervous. 

 

I mean, I really wasn't up for that sort of thing, 

I had problems of my own. 

 

I mean, I couldn't help André. 

 

Was I supposed to be A Doctor, or what? 

 

Sir, My Name is Wallace Shawn. 

I'm expected at the table of André Gregory. 

 

That table will be a moment, sir. 

If you like, you may have a drink at the bar. - Good evening, sir. 

 

Could I have a club soda, please? 

 

I'm sorry, sir. We only serve Source de Pavilion. 

 

Oh, that'd be fine, thank you. 

 

When I'd called André, 

and he'd suggested that we meet in this particular restaurant, 

I'd been rather surprised, because André's taste 

used to be very ascetic... 

Even though people have always known that he had some money somewhere. 

I mean, how the hell else could he have been flying off to Asia 

and so on, and still have been supporting His Family? 

 

The reason I was meeting André was that 

an acquaintance of mine, George Grassfield

had called me and just insisted that I had to see him.

 

 Apparently, George had been walking his dog in an odd section of town the night before, 

and he'd suddenly come upon André... leaning against a crumbling old building and sobbing. 

 

André had explained to George that he'd just been watching the Ingmar Bergman movie  

Autumn Sonata about 25 blocks away, 

and he'd been seized by a fit of ungovernable crying 

when The Character played by Ingrid Bergman had said... 

"I could always live in My Art, 

but never in My Life." 

 

Wally! 

 

Wow.

My God. 

 

I remember, when I first started 

working with André's company... 

I couldn't get over the way the actors 

would hug when they greeted each other. 

 

"Wow. Now I'm really 

in The Theater," I thought. 

 

Well, you look Terrific. 

 

 

Well, I feel Terrible. 

Kane

Rabbi...

Private property cannot be confiscated.

How long are the schools going to be closed?

I do not know.

"Article 47, pillage is formally prohibited."

You don't know anything!

I am familiar with the Hague Convention.

Religious...

They come into our house and tell

us we don't live there anymore.

It now belongs to a certain SS officer.

Please. I only know What They Tell Me.

And What They Tell Me changes from day to day.

Aren't you supposed to be able to help?

I mean, what if I just took this thing off?

What are They going to do about it?

They will shoot you.

Why don't you stop this silly talk?

Itzhak Stern!

I'm looking for Itzhak Stern.

Are you Itzhak Stern or not?

I am. 

 

Where can we talk?

There's A Company you did the

books for on Lipowa Street.

Made what? Pots and pans?

STERN :

By Law, I have to tell you sir, 

I am a Jew.

OSKAR SCHINDLER :

Well, I'm a German. 

So there we are.

 

( of-interest is the fact that he does not, at this stage (openly) conceed that you can be both -- although, Stern is Polish, in any case)

A good Company, you think?

STERN :

Modestly successful.

I know nothing about enamelware. 

Do you?

STERN :

I was just The Accountant.

Simple engineering though, wouldn't you think?

Change the machines around, whatever you do...

You could make other things, couldn't you?

Field kits, mess kits. Army contracts.

Once The War ends, forget it

but for now it's great.

You can make A Fortune, don't you think?

STERN :

I think Most People right now

have other priorities.

Like what?

STERN :

I'm sure you'll do just fine once you get the contracts.

In fact, the worse things get,

the better you'll do.

Well, I can get The Signatures I need.

That's the easy part.

Finding The Money to buy

The Company, that's hard.

STERN :

You don't have any money?

Not that kind of money.

You know anybody?

Jews, yeah. Investors.

You must have contacts in

The Jewish Business Community, working here.

STERN :

What Community? 

Jews can no longer own Businesses.

That's why this one's in Receivership.

But they wouldn't own it. I'd own it. 

I'd pay them back in Product, pots and pans.

Pots and pans.

Something they can use.

Something they can

feel in their hands.

They can trade it

on the black market,

do whatever they want.

Everybody's happy.

If you want, you could

run the company for me.

Let me understand.

They'd put up

all the money,

I'd do all the work.

What, if you don't mind

my asking, would you do?

I'd make sure it's known

the company's in business.

I'd see that it had

a certain panache.

That's what I'm good at, not the work.

Not The Work.

The Presentation.

I'm sure I don't know anybody

who'll be interested in this.

Well, They should be, Itzhak Stern.

Tell them they should be.

Different Powers

MOBIUS : 

Training goin’ well?

Main Loki :

Yeah.

MOBIUS

Is that my jet ski magazine?

Put it down. Gear up.

There’s been an attack. Let’s go.

[ Mobius hands Loki a Tactical Field Jacket ]

MOBIUS

Put it on.

Good. Yeah. Smart.

C-20 and her team went dark

shortly after they jumped into the 1985 branch.

All signs point to another ambush.

We’ve grabbed enough temporal aura 

to know it’s our Loki Variant.

But which kind of Loki, remains unknown.

Main Loki :

They’re the lesser kind, to be clear.

MOBIUS

(SIGHS) 

Let me see the back of that jacket.

( It has 'TVA' embossed on the back of it, in 18 inch yellow lettering )

Main Loki :

Hmm.

Very subtle. Well done.

MOBIUS

I don’t want anybody out there 

to forget What You Are.

[ and shooting you -- he's trying to keep him Safe. ]

Main Loki :

Oh, your only hope of capturing A Murderer?

No — A Cosmic Mistake.

MOBIUS

That’s enough.

 

Main Loki :

Lovely.

MOBIUS : 

Here’s The Deal.

When we get out on The Branch,

we’re not just looking for a Time Criminal.

We’re looking for A Loki.

A variation of this guy.

A type we should all be very familiar with,

because the TVA has pruned a lotta these guys,

almost more than any other Variant.

And no two are alike.

Slight differences in appearances, 

or not so slight.

Different Powers, 

although, Powers, generally include

Shape-Shifting, 

Illusion-Projection, 

and my favorite…

Main Loki :

Duplication-Casting.

 

MOBIUS

Illusion-Projection.

 

Main Loki :

No, they’re two completely different powers.

MOBIUS

How?

Main Loki :

Illusion-Projection involves  

depicting a detailed image from outside oneself,

which is perceptible in The External World,  

whereas 

Duplication-Casting entails  

recreating an exact facsimile of one’s own body 

in its present circumstance,

which acts as 

A True Holographic Mirror 

of its molecular structure.

But you already knew that.

MOBIUS

Okay, take a breath. Noted.

 

We’re gonna break into two teams, 

including myself and Professor Loki.

Main Loki :

Why?

MOBIUS

Because whoever this Variant is, 

we haven’t been able to find him.

[ Because you are looking for a He-Loki ]

So let’s bring in An Expert.

Main Loki :

That’s Me.

Do I get a weapon?

MOBIUS

Nah.

 

Main Loki :

Well, I’ll have My Magic back. 

Is no one concerned about that?

MOBIUS

Of what?

Main Loki :

Me Betraying You.

MOBIUS

No.

Main Loki :

Why not?

MOBIUS

You know that we can catch you.

And how’s betraying us gonna get you 

any closer to The Time-Keepers?

Main Loki :

An audience with The Time-Keepers 

is on the table?

[ No. He's just stringing you along (like A Loki).]

MOBIUS

Keep that focus.